Description and habitat of primitive aurochs, attempts to recreate the species

Turs are primitive extinct bulls. This is a wild population, whose representatives are considered the ancient ancestors and progenitors of the modern cow. The closest relatives are African Watussi bulls, whose appearance is as identical as possible to their disappeared relatives. You can only find out what the real bulls looked like from reconstructions, since no real photos of the bulls have survived.

Origin of the species and description

Eurasian aurochs are artiodactyl mammals from the bovid family.They appeared in the second half of the Anthropocene period (about 2 million years ago). They spread and inhabited the territory of Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. The individuals were the largest animals after the Ice Age. The aurochs is the ancient ancestor of modern cattle.

It was possible to reconstruct what the ancient bull looks like based on the found bone structures and drawings by naturalists:

1. Muscular, powerful build, elongated body shape.
2. Dimensions of an adult bull: length – 3 m, height – about 1.8 meters, weight – 800-1100 kilograms.
3. Compact head sizes. The shape is elongated.
4. Meter-long wide pointed horns, giving a terrifying appearance.
5. Adult bulls were black or black-brown, with light stripes running down their backs. Females and young animals had a brown or reddish color.
6. The presence of a small hump on the shoulder part of the body.
7. Cows had small udders, completely hidden in thick fur. Compared to modern individuals, the udder of female aurochs was poorly developed.

The primitive bull had many advantages that helped him survive. These are dense wool, hardy disposition, unpretentiousness and feeding on pasture. Individuals quickly adapted to different natural conditions: they lived in the forest zone, open steppe and even in swampy areas. Females were highly fertile (reproducing offspring annually).

Where did he live and what did he eat?

Initially, the aurochs lived on the banks of the Nile, gradually inhabiting Africa, India, and Pakistan. Later, bulls appeared in Asia Minor, northern Africa, and Europe. In Africa, the population of aurochs was destroyed before our era; in Europe, individuals lived until the 16th century:

1. Since the 12th century, aurochs were found in the Dnieper River basin.
2. In the 14th century they lived in impenetrable and sparsely populated forests of Lithuania, Belarus, and Poland. Here they were taken under state protection. They became park inhabitants.
3. By the end of the 15th century, a herd of 24 aurochs survived near Warsaw. But by the beginning of the 16th century this herd had been reduced to 4 individuals.
4. The last ancient tour died in 1627.

Bulls were completely herbivores. In the summer months, the green vegetation of the steppes was enough for them. In winter, they moved to forested areas in search of food. Here individuals united in large herds. Due to the beginning of deforestation, the turs often starved in winter, for many of them this was the cause of death.

Character and lifestyle of the breed

The nature of the tours was mostly calm. They did not attack people or animals and did not lead an aggressive lifestyle. Bulls became enraged only during sexual hunting or when necessary for protection.

Ancient individuals led a herd wild lifestyle. The largest female became the “leader”. The young bulls lived separately, frolicking freely and enjoying their youth. Old individuals went into the forest thickets and lived separately from the main population. Cows with newborn calves also went deep into the forest, protecting their offspring.

Social structure and reproduction

Mating of wild animals occurred in the first month of autumn. During this period, fierce fights began between males, which usually ended in the death of one or both opponents. The females belonged to the strongest representatives of the herd.There are numerous cases of mating between wild aurochs and domestic cows. As a result, non-viable hybrid offspring were born with poor health, which soon died.

Calving time came at the end of spring. Pregnant cows, sensing the speed of labor, went into the forest and retired into the thicket. Here calves were born, with whom the mother remained in the thickets for at least 20 days. If the birth occurred at a later date (September), the calves born in the fall did not survive and died by winter.

What are the animal's natural enemies?

The bulls had a powerful and well-developed physique. This served as a frightening signal for most animals in the wild. Researchers note that wolves could occasionally attack aurochs. But man became the main enemy of the species. Constant hunting of wild bulls lasted for hundreds of years. A killed tour became excellent prey. The meat of the carcass was food for a huge number of people.

Historical books and chronicles record many cases of successful bull hunting. People massacred aurochs to replenish supplies of meat and fur.

Population and species status

Turs are a vanished (extinct) species. Active population decline and mass death were recorded in the 14th-16th centuries. People of that time tried to save the species: they treated, protected, fed and brought hay to the forest in winter. But all efforts were in vain. The population decreased and eventually disappeared.

Several phenomena contributed to the extinction of the species:

1. Rapid progress and rapid development of the wood processing industry have led to intensive deforestation in Europe.
2. Consequence of active hunting.
3. Man began to interfere with natural phenomena.
4. Changing living conditions.The last individuals died from the disease. The immune system was unable to adapt to new climatic conditions.

The last unique specimen was lost in the 16th century. Today the descendants of these ancient individuals live: Indian, African bulls and other representatives of cattle. Animals live on most continents. In 1994, it was established that modern cows are not descendants of aurochs. Scientists have proven that the development and domestication of these animals has a different lineage.

Domestication of the aurochs

Only some descendants of the aurochs were domesticated. In Spain and other Latin American countries, fighting bulls are raised. It is believed that their deliberate breeding began in the 16th and 17th centuries in Valladolid. Fighting bulls are used to take part in bullfights. Such individuals superficially resemble aurochs, but their body size is much smaller (weight - up to 0.5 tons, height - no more than 1.5 meters).

Description of the closest relatives of the ancient bull:

Attempts to recreate the species

The idea of ​​“resurrecting” an extinct population through artificial selection became popular in the 19th century. In 1920, in Germany, the brothers Heinz and Heck carried out similar work. The result was the breeding of “Hake bulls.” The individuals did not become real aurochs, but they received maximum similarity in coat color and horn shape.

Similar experiments are still being carried out today.The work is being carried out in the Netherlands, where scientists from the Taurus Foundation want to obtain an animal that is as similar as possible to the aurochs by backcrossing primitive breeds. In Poland they plan to recreate the individual from DNA collected from the found bones. But the work has not yet been successful. None of the scientists succeeded in reproducing the wild bull.

The wild bull aurochs is an extinct animal. The extinction of the population occurred in the 16th century; the death of the last representative of the species occurred in 1627. Ancient animals were distinguished by their enormous body sizes: the weight of an adult individual reached a ton, and the height at the withers was 2 meters. With such a large-scale configuration, the aurochs were completely herbivorous animals. They ate greens and shoots and lived in a herd under the command of a female.

Extinction occurred due to human activity and genetic diseases of the species. Attempts to “resurrect” the population are unsuccessful. The closest relatives are Indian bulls and African Watussi.